Getting Caught by Mandy Hubbard

caught on to my lie.
    I turn away from him and wipe the lone tear that has escaped, taking a deep breath before turning back to face him..
    Even though I didn’t do it on purpose, my little show has affected Dave. He’s staring at me, this disgusted look on his face.
    “Damn.” He clearly underestimates Jess Hill.
    I wonder if maybe Dave is a softer guy than I expected. Maybe this prank will be harder to pull off than originally planned. He’s supposed to be a competitive football maniac, meaning he should be ready and willing to be my accomplice in any game. But by the way he’s staring at me, he looks like he wants no part of this. It’s going to take more to convince him.
    “You have no idea how hard I prepared or how excited I was. And then I get there and the whole thing is a joke and he asks me what I’d do if I were Hulk Hogan.”
    “Huh?”
    I wave my hand dismissively. “I don’t know. Something like that. But anyway, she can’t get away with it. You have to help me.”
    He still looks worried. “That’s just not my style, though. Why involve me at all? You can get someone else to do it.”
    “It has to be you. She’s had a crush on you since sixth or seventh grade.”
    “Yeah, but that was like, five years ago.” He narrows his pale blue eyes and starts rubbing his hands together. It’s a nervous move. I’ve seen him do it on the football field between plays. “I thought you two didn’t talk anymore.”
    “We don’t. But I can tell she’s not over it. The whole week while you guys were wrestling, she’s stared at you all googly-eyed. She never babbles like she does around you. And she looks all stiff and robotic. It’s just like middle school.”
    He groans and runs a hand through his hair. “I just don’t like it. It doesn’t seem right. Even though, I have to admit, she did do something pretty nasty to you. Can’t you just take the high road?”
    I shake my head. “No way. She is not getting away with her prank. Please, I’m begging you. You owe me this. You know you do.”
    He looks up at me and we maintain eye contact for one long, lingering moment. Finally, he says, “Yeah, I know.”
    I’m talking about the fact that I’ve been his math tutor for three years, since freshman year. He’s completely useless with numbers, so I stepped in and have been single-handedly helping him keep his GPA high enough to stay on the football and baseball team. And sports are his passion. Without them, he wouldn’t be Dave Ashworth.
    And he knows it.
    “Look,” I say softly, “I’m not trying to force you. But you’ve always asked me how you could return the favor, and I’ve never asked anything from you. I’m asking you now.”
    The room is quiet, and he’s not looking at me. I can tell he’s considering my proposition, so I wait for him to break the silence. But he doesn’t. I stand up and come nearer to him. Then I give him my best puppy-dog expression. “ Please ?”
    He looks at me, and when his expression softens, I know I’ve got him. “How long do I have to date her?”
    “Just until graduation.”
    His eyes widen. “That’s almost three months!”
    “I know,” I rush, “But it needs to end then so she can’t retaliate with another prank, at least not one as big as this. You can put it off a few more weeks and then start out really slowly. Just flirt with her a little and stretch it out. You’ll only actually date for like a month. And you’ll be playing baseball and all that anyway. You’ll hardly have time to see her. I swear, it’ll be really easy.”
    He shakes his head, but I know he’s going to help me. He already looks like he’s ready to surrender. “Fine. I’ll do it. But only because of what you’ve done for me.”
    I grin. “Thanks. You have no idea what this means to me.”
    He shakes his head but he’s smiling just a little bit. “But after this, we’re even.”
    “Deal.”
    Dave walks out of my room, and I throw a huge smile and a double